The Legend of Vox Machina - 1x9 - Episode 9 Reaction - The Tide of Bone

[@MACReact]

Thanks for all the support guys! Like & Subscribe to catch some of your favorite shows with us! The Legend of Vox Machina playlist - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoHSo4uwZ61goas Link to baby registry - www.amazon.com/baby-reg/macreact-registry-september-2023-sanantonio/3W1L89RXT7GA1 Link to GoFundMe for the new baby - gofund.me/bb41025d Link to Patreon - www.patreon.com/macreact Link to Instagram - instagram.com/macreact/

[@OptionZero]

Scanlan’s voice actor is Sam Riegel - he DOES NOT MISS. He was a child actor on Broadway in Les Miserables; he writes and performs almost all of the music for Critical Role (Working with other professionals); he has worked as a voice actor, director and producer in video games, anime, and children’s animation for decades, for Marvel , dc, all the big companies, including winning a Daytime Emmy. As the Bard, he would regular sing cheered renditions of hit songs to literally inspire his party while playing on the streamed games. There are hour-long Supercuts of his singing, it’s delightful. Sam provided the first spark toward animating this show when he came up with an 80’s style jingle for DNDBeyond, one of their sponsors. After performing it live at the table during an ad segment, reception was so great that the company paid for it to be animated into a short commercial featuring their Campaign 2 characters, by a small studio (Ki Frame). The cast loved this so much they paid for Ki Frame to do an animated intro for campaign 2. This went so well they decided to do a kickstarter for Vox Machina, this show; previous pitches to the big platforms had not gone well, since DND was so niche. When the kickstarter blew up, one of Amazon’s streaming execs decided to have a chat with…Sam Riegel, who conveniently was working on another one of their shows. That chat turned out to be about putting this show on Amazon. Fast forward and here we are,

[@billbishop6109]

Sam has incredible range. Just last week Marisha Ray (Keyleth) was boxing in the Creator Clash 2 for charity, and Sam created the ring entrance music for her with his brother in law Peter Habib, who he produces most of the music for Vox Machina. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKKQm32resegnNk

[@ShadowyFox_86]

I still smile every time I watch their Kickstarter episode where they thought they'd be introducing it, talking about their goal, some stretch goals. NOPE! Fans blew through the goal and (in the words of Grog's player) "fuck your stretch goals!" 😂

[@Ozgarthefighter]

​@Bill Bishop Holy crap that song is fire! Sam Reigel truly transcends genre.

[@zainsinclair5619]

What's crazy too is the fact that there are a lot of new to new-ish CR fans (myself included) who learned of the show via the existence of Matt or Laura, not even realizing how immense and unreal of a talent Sam is. Is he my favorite voice actor among the cast? Nah, but do I recognize him as the most multi-talented individual there? Abso-fuckin-lutely.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

And then Scanbo picks up a special item in season 2 and wooooo, hits those high notes.

[@Moricant]

In the original campaign, Ashley was Skyping in from NY for this part and Pike’s astral projection was implemented to reflect that and give a reason for her to suddenly disappear if they lost the connection.

[@passenthrualaska3293]

The Pike thing is sorta a combo thing, she leveled up, had a boost from being in the Temple, and clerics are something like twice as affective against undead than normal living enemies. In game characters/creatures can have resistances or weaknesses to certain kinds of damage. For example if something was resistant to fire damage, they would only take half the damage rolled if the damage was fire/heat based, having a weakness to fire however means they take double the rolled damage. Undead have a weakness to holy power, so Pike is basically undead kryptonite.

[@theanyktos]

15:07 good catch! I haven't seen many reacters make that connection (and I've seen a frankly embarrassing number of reactions to this show at this point). Yes, she is stronger right now, in this form, both beause of the chamber she's in and because she literally has her godess's blessing right now. She definitely _has_ leveled up her own power too, so she'll still be more powerful than before she went on that journey, she just won't be _quite_ as overpowered as she is here, once she's not astral projecting anymore. I mean, she one shotted two zombie giants, killed like 5 dozen undead like they were nothing _and_ blessed all the weapons of like another 5 dozen town folk. She's _really_ op this episode XD

[@Trichromanic]

She also looks more OP in this scenario because they're fighting undead almost exclusively which clerics are a hard counter to

[@LeeCarlson]

I always love watching Pike do the clerical spell "Turn Undead ... to salsa."

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Not a spell, granted power.

[@rhokesh4391]

You're right about the woman at the end, she is someone from Percy's List. She was in the flashbacks several times (she's the one who shot Cassandra), only with short hair and less dirty XD

[@donrichards271]

So glad to see you like Scanlan's songs. The original stream had so many of them and most all were damned entertaining. Make sure you continue listening to the end-credits songs, I'm sure you will like them all. I am especially hoping to see how you react to the one from season 2 episode 10.

[@09spidy]

Oh boy! You're in for a treat in Season 2, there's more action, better writing and pacing, excellent character moments, and most importantly MORE SONGS!

[@stevencavanagh7990]

and one of the most F**K up momenst in campaign 1, yes that one.

[@LightVelox]

Better writing? How is that possible lol

[@carlotacosta9193]

Pike is such a nuke against undead, it was fun to watch on stream and it was fun to watch in the show

[@Macros198]

"She sounded just like Azula". Funny that! ;-)

[@tlaragihai5953]

13:44 I am genuinely scared and very impressed of your memory, if you remember such tiny scenes and details, _without_ knowing the story and characters. Wow. Next episone will be very interesting :)))))) And you`re right about Pike! I don`t know if they stated it somewhere, but I do think the reason of why she`s so strong here is exactly because of 1) her levelling up, 2) her new-found connection to her goddess and the fact the she sits in an incredibly powerful magic room :33 You both are delight to watch, I can`t wait for your reaction to the next episode!

[@ShadowyFox_86]

We also can't forget that another reason for her being so strong is that clerics are a beast against the undead.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Q. How many dead did Delilah raise? A. ALL OF THEM.

[@Baconfive0TV]

I've been loving your reactions to these episodes. I cannot wait for you to get to Season 2! Enjoy the ride and welcome to being a Critter

[@operative2136]

If you think Scanlan's songs are good in season 1, just wait until you see what he comes up with in season 2. Mindblowingly good!

[@ScorpionStrike7]

When Scanlan starts singing during a fight, that’s how you know it’s about to go down

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

That's when VM _fuck. shit. up."

[@MusicUnderMyBreath]

I really recommend you guys watch/react to the behind the scenes of them making the show. My favourite is 'The Legend of the Music of The Legend of Vox Machina' Sam talks about writing scanlans songs with his Brother-in-Law. Loving the reactions :) Can't wait for your next video

[@suntiger745]

Percy's guns are quite powerful so to not make them unbalanced they are prone to misfires or outright breaking if he, in game mechanic terms, rolls low on the dice. That's what happened with his rifle Bad News against the giant. The shot did go off, but it also ruptured the barrel. He will need to fix that out of combat before he can use it again. And yeah, like others have said, clerics like Pike (and paladins) are especially powerful against the undead. Pike had a similar moment to this in the stream too, where she jumped from a wall right into a group of something like 100 skeletons and her Turn Undead (which becomes Destroy Undead against weaker undead at higher levels) obliterated something like 60-70 of them. Paladins tend to be more high damage on single targets, while clerics tend to be more area of effect oriented, which is great against larger groups of weaker undead. Also, in episode 5, "Fate's Journey" when they sit around the campfire, we hear Scanlan sing "She was a holy, holy gnoome!" which I think is the refrain to the (presumably) first verse of the song in the credits of this episode.

[@ShadowyFox_86]

Part of it, too, is that in Season 1, Bad News is a prototype (thus "a work in progress"). He was really only expecting to get one shot off.

[@niamhfox9559]

I love the amount of work that went into the background sound production, when they're on the roof their footsteps sound like it and Vedmire clanks as he walks. I'll second the suggestion of looking at the making of videos, everyone put so much effort into this from the start. There are Q&A sessions with the actors and artists from the watch parties on the critical role youtube channel too.

[@LeeCarlson]

Percy named his longarm "Bad News," because nothing travels faster.

[@ShadowyFox_86]

It also makes him the bearer of Bad News.

[@AutumnWoodham]

"He's got a bigger gun" Was namedropped earlier, but with this being its first use, introducing "Bad News". Pretty much a long range more powerful version of The List, but with the drawback of only holding one shot, making it great for big targets but less than ideal in close combat. It breaking down is in reference to what happens when Percy fails some attack roles his machines are prone to fail on him, requiring either a quick fix in the field or to take time out of combat and fix it later. This was due to his gunslinger class being brought in from Pathfinder and reworked for D&D 5th Edition.

[@theanyktos]

I really enjoyed this reaction, it's awesome how invested you've become in this show XD

[@neintales1224]

That is indeed Scanlan singing at the end, a song he wrote about Pike, which, like all of Scanlan's songs were written by his player/voice, Sam Riegel, with his brother in law whose name I shamefully cannot remember right now. Peter something I think?

[@mikec2507]

She sounded like Azula because it's the same voice actress.

[@jasonmarbach]

Came here to say this, haha

[@johna6352]

After season 1 you should watch the 6 making of videos. They're called The Legend of the ___ of The Legend of Vox Machina...there's one about the music, which I'm sure you'll really enjoy. And yes, Pike was powered up by the chamber in the Temple her body was in...she's also a Cleric so already has an edge over undead opponents. Thematically, this was also symbolic of her becoming a war priest instead of a life cleric, if I remember correctly...

[@manahakume9870]

good ear XD she IS azula lol and yes all of scanlans songs are scanlan singing, Sam Riegel is a classically trained Broadway singer in the game his songs were improvised versions of pop music of the time but due to copy right and the fact that those songs dont REALLY belong around Tal'dore Same preformed and helped write all of scanlans songs for the show :D

[@2droidz12]

SOFT SPOILER!!!!! 09:54 ....ohhhh snap! THAT's amazing foreshadowing! Vex+Grog=

[@Reblwitoutacause]

"She can fix him!" 8:53 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ticozayas6430]

She is def getting amped by being in that chamber back in the temple, while clerics are the undead's bane she is getting juiced bigtime and apparently is the only one person that can handle that energy boost bc b4 that the head priestess had said its power was too much for any single person.

[@ShadowyFox_86]

It certainly couldn't mean anything that she can handle so much power. 😏

[@Ironoclasty]

Yes, Pike! Astral Projection! We believe in you! You conduit! [ . . . so sorry, couldn't help myself, I swear I don't have a problem - I can quit anytime . . .]

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

That's... a good joke. Take my unwilling upvote.

[@melissanotthewebsbusiness7272]

Hie thee both to Spotify at the end of Season 1, the whole soundtrack is there, and it's a bop! I hope they get Season 2 out SOON!

[@laurahart1337]

Ahhhhhh, Ripley. Love the guesses. ❤❤

[@DeadMuzan]

This is actually a good slept on show

[@TenebrousFilms]

We never got to see the Briarwoods' motivations in the stream, Matt had to explain it out of character; so the first scene was nice to see, even for critters. The rifle's name is literally Bad News. Archibald didn't die, originally, but DRAMA! Vax's confession happened earlier than this, and caused quite the reaction from the other players. Pike's astral return is Ashley skyping into the game. It *is* Sam/Scanlan singing! In the stream, he'd parody popular songs for his spells; they usually provoked a laugh or a singalong, and came in clutch several times. (He even used it to his advantage in the final confrontation of the campaign, distracting Matt with humour so he didn't realise what he was really doing.)

[@I.Lostalim]

01:08 Sounded just like Azula you say ... 👀 If you haven't already, may I direct you to the acting credits 😎

[@I.Lostalim]

Astral Projection: Also known as Ashley texted Matt the night before "I have a filming break - can I play by Skype tomorrow" ... And Matt rewrote the session plan at the last minute 😆

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

​@@I.Lostalim A DM's gotta do whata DM's gotta do.

[@I.Lostalim]

@@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself indeed they do, it was epic in the campaign stream and somehow even more so in LoVM. 😎 'sup indeed

[@kyokonightstorm5844]

You really should look up the video pairing this episode, in particular the undead fight/Pike's return, to the song "Holding Out for a Hero". It works WAY too well. There's a little bit of editing to make it fit, but it is so good. I recommend it to every reactor I've seen cover this show. Addition: While Pike is boosted by her deity, this is a prime example of why you always take a cleric to an undead fight.

[@MACReact]

Oh my god we just watched it, that was fucking amazing!

[@darrenl3289]

Yep it's a safe house. That house is perfectly safe... the people in it? Not so much lol

[@theashrook6129]

Can’t wait for a full scan Lan soundtrack

[@natthali_]

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy. You will both be great parents. 💛💛 I want to ask if there will be a reaction to Warrior Nun. I love your reactions and I'm waiting for this because I know it would be an amazing reaction. Not to mention it's a PERFECT and ADDICTIVE series

[@josephramirez5274]

you should look into the voice actress of delilah she's done some good stuff lol. Clerics are really good with Undead. So she comes off way more OP when fighting undead things.

[@Eric-im2px]

As you saw from Pike in this video, Clerics are fuckin' busted

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Druids tho' If Keylith didn't hold back, her powers would be out of control.

[@spacejammer1991]

Same voice actor plays delilah and azula 😁

[@stevencavanagh7990]

DR Anna Ripely, she is easily way worse than Delilah, hell if I had her and Delilah at me Mercy, and 2 bullets I would shoot Ripely twice. Pike is an unstoppable force, against the Undead, she loses a chunk of her power when the enemy is alive.

[@KaraOni13]

so pike cannot astral project on her own at will, her goddess is powering her, astral projecting at that strength is normally not possible for mortals on their own unless you have a strong belief and trust in a deity.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Yep, in a temple, in a prayer circle, surrounded by other clerics, praying for something in the deity's domain? Yeah, that's a power-up.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

From 1x9 to 3x? Spoiler Fuckin' Ripley...